It appears the reason I've been buying shoelaces several size too long is because I have not been using the most mathematically elegant of solutions

We demonstrate mathematically that the shortest lacing is neither of these, but instead is a rarely used and unexpected type of lacing known as bow-tie lacing.. Polster said in an article published in the science journal Nature

I tend to lace shoes and boots differently, depending on usage and style... my hunting boots get laced up differently than the no-name brand sneakers from Wal-Mart. I also remember, very distinctly in fact, the first time I laced my own shoes up. Possibly because it's the first mathematically challenging rite-of-passage for little kids. One that sets all of us down the road to independence. After all, if you can tie your own shoelaces, you can be trusted to walk to school by yourself, pick your own meal at the restaurant, use the restroom by yourself, and bit by tiny bit, your life becomes your own..